The Bridges Golf Club Course Review

Gunter, TXGold tees: 75.0 rating; 134 slopeLast played: 2012

The Bridges Golf Course Overview: Located in the small town of Gunter about an hour outside of Dallas, this is a Fred Couples designed golf course. Built just before the recession, there are plenty of homesites around parts of the course, but very few actual homes. Thus, the surrounding prairie-lands make the course seem wide open and, without visual cues, distance judgment is tough, which adds to the difficulty. The design, while quirky at times, provides a challenge. Here's to hoping the economy will recover and give this golf course a chance to survive. The most memorable holes are described below:

The Bridges Hole 4: This medium length golf hole features a lot of bunkers, with the main section being a series of three in the middle of the fairway. A long drive can clear them, but if that drive is pulled or pushed, the bunkers on either side of the fairway also come into play. The green is "V" shaped and has bunkers short left and right.

The Bridges Hole 6: The drivable par four has a very undulating green on the right half as well as a pot bunker hidden from the tee on that side. If the player goes for it, left of the deep bunker on that side of the green is prairie and the right features another bunker and a more awkward approach around the pot bunker. The layup drive is to a wide fairway and will leave wedge into the green.

The Bridges Hole 8: One of two similar, slightly uphill par threes with shallow and wide greens, this one is a little more difficult to hit, but has a more gently sloping green.

The Bridges Hole 9: The final hole of the front nine is a long, nasty par four. The drive should challenge the bunker on the left side. Anything left, however, is in trouble, but the farther right the drive goes, the longer the approach. The green is on the other side of a creek and is framed by two large sets of trees that will cause problems for any shot not hit straight or high enough.

The Bridges Hole 13: This uphill par four feels as if it is really in the middle of nowhere with nothing but prairie, fairway and bunkers to face the driver, and no visual aids. The green slopes strongly to make putting tough.

The Bridges Hole 18: The final golf hole of the day has three "islands" separated by water. Only the very strongest of drives can skip the first island to leave a chance at getting home in two, but it is not recommended. With water pretty much everywhere, three good shots are needed to come home with a par or better.